Panel-operator for player-pianos.



E. B. PARSONS.

PANEL OPERATOR FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

Patented Jan. 11, "1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET m E H l A/ E. R. PARSONS.

' PANEL OPERATOR FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPHCATION EILED JULY 15, 19:5.

1,168,109 A Patented Jan 11, 1916.

FIEEE ZSHEETSSHEET 2.

5%? Parsons ELMER. RI. PARSONS, F OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

' PANEL-OPERATOR FOB. PLAYER P IANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Jan. 11 1916.

Application filed July 15, 1915. Serial No. 40,048.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELMER-R. PA soNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha. in the county of Douglas and State of Nebiaska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Panel-Operators for Player-Pianos; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description' of the 'invention, su ch as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.-

This invention relates to improvements in to means to'operatethe panels ofa playerpiano, the object ofthe invention being to readily installed and by means of which the a player-piano provided with sliding'doors orpanels and showing the lever for actuating thelpanel operating mechanism. Fig. '2

is a rear elevation of'the doors or panels and the panel operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a vertical'sectional view on the plane indicated by the line a-a of Fig. 2. t Fig. 1 is a detail perspective view of one of the attaching devices, and Fig. 5 is a detail view in side elevatlon. of the segment gears, the radial arm,

the lever and thelink connecting the arm "and lever, the shaft uponwhichlthefgears are mounted being in vertical section.

Thefront wallofa player-piano is indicated-at 1, provided with the usual openings 2 for the music rolldoorsor panels These panels are provided on their lower sides with supporting rollers 5 which operate on a lower track andguide bar 6, an

upper guidebar 7 being'also provided which is engaged by the upper sides of the panels.

- A vertically arranged bar 8 is secured to the inner side of the front wall 1 in spaced relation thereto, andin rear of the guides 67 and is'arranged near one end of the opening 2. An operating-shaftfi) is mount- I ed in abearing .10 in the wall '1 and also in a bearing 11 near the upper end of the bar 8. Anoperatinglever 12 is attached to the front end of said shaft and a segment gear 13 is attached to said shaft at a point near its rear end. A segment gear 14 engages the segment gear 13 and its shaft or axle 15 has abearing in the bar 8 and also in a brace 16 on the inner side or rear side of said bar. Said segment 14 has a radial arm 17.

v The panel or door 3 has a block 18, on its inner side near its outer end,'-a link 19 being pivotally connected as at 20 to said block.

A lever- 21 is pivotally connected to the link 19 as at 22 and its upper end'is pivotally When the shaft 9 with the segment '13 is turned by the lever 12 in one direction, the

segment 14 is also turned, together with its provide improved devices ofthis character which are simple in construction, may be arm 17, said arm coac'ting with the link '24,

lever 21 and link 12, to movethe panel 3 to open or closed position according to the direction in which saidlever 12 is turned, as

will be understood.-

The panel 3 is provided near its upper outer corner with an attaching device 25 by means of a screw 26. The panel 4 is provided near the corresponding corner with an attaching device 27. A pulley '28 is connected to the upperguide 7 as at .23. A. I link 24 connects the lever 21 with the arm17. player-pianos and especially with reference mounted on the guide 7 above the panel 3 and near one end of the panelopening, a

similar pulley 29 being mounted on said bar near the opposite end of the panel opening and above the panel 4. An'operating cable 30 has one end attached to one end of the attaching device 25, passes over the pulley 28 and has the opposite end attached to one end of the attaching device 27. A similar cable 31 has one end attached to the other end of the attaching device 25,. passes over the pulley 29 and has the other endattached to the other end of the attaching device 27,

said cables being stood.

' As shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, each of the attaching devices 25 and-27 comprises a hub 25 and arms 25", the arms extending laterally from opposite sides of the hub.

crossed as will be under- The hubs 25 are provided with openings 25 to permit the attaching devices to be pivot.- ally secured to the panels 3 and 4 by the element 26, and the arms 25 are provided with openings 25 to permit the cables 30 and 31 to be connected thereto.

The cables and the pulleys form connections between the panels which cause the panel 4 to be operated simultaneously with the panel 3 and in the reverse direction,'so that said panels are simultaneously opened or closed.

\Vhile I have herein shown and described a preferred form of my invention I Would have it understood that changes may be made in the form, proportion and construction of the several parts Without departing from the spirit of the invention and Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a player-piano a slidably mounted panel, a shaft having an operating lever and also provided With a gear, a second gear engaged with the first gear, suitably mounted for oscillating movement and provided with for oscillating movement and provided with an arm rigid therewith, a link pivotally connected to one of said panels, a lever having one end pivotally mounted at a fixed point and the other end pivotally connected to said link, and a second link connecting said lever to the arm, and means operable by said panel to simultaneously open and close the other panel.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ELMER R1 PARSONS. Vitnesses L. E. EDWARDS, J ENME DARING. 

